Trick Out Your Dorm With Cool Gear Even Students Can Afford

So you’ve done the Ikea run. You have a trash can, and a laptop, and a whole bunch of hangers that will hang lonely in your closet while your clothes pile up on your floor. You want to get your place set up with all the coolest stuff, but let’s face it—you’re broke. Don’t worry. Here are a bunch of ways to kit out your dorm room or apartment for less than $40 a pop.

URPower Portable Steamer

You don’t need to show up to class every day looking like a million bucks, but you should at least look like a person who’s seen an iron before. Luckily, that doesn’t require any actual ironing skills, just a few quick swipes with this steamer. At the very least, use it before you give that semester-ending presentation. A wrinkle-free shirt is worth at least the bump from a C to a C+. $20

Credit: Amazon

You don’t need to show up to class every day looking like a million bucks, but you should at least look like a person who’s seen an iron before. Luckily, that doesn’t require any actual ironing skills, just a few quick swipes with this steamer. At the very least, use it before you give that semester-ending presentation. A wrinkle-free shirt is worth at least the bump from a C to a C+. $20

Braun Alarm Clock

An analog alarm clock protects you from dead phones you drunkenly forgot to plug in last night and the late-night Twittering that’s ruining your sleep cycle. A proper minimalist alarm clock like this one adds a bit of class to the end of bedframe, and you better believe that beeping is obnoxious enough to get you out of bed. $19

Credit: Amazon

An analog alarm clock protects you from dead phones you drunkenly forgot to plug in last night and the late-night Twittering that’s ruining your sleep cycle. A proper minimalist alarm clock like this one adds a bit of class to the end of bedframe, and you better believe that beeping is obnoxious enough to get you out of bed. $19

Fisher Bullet Space Pen with Clip

This designer staple also happens to be a perfect accessory for students. Fisher’s pen is nice to look at, writes beautifully, feels great even on the third hour of a final exam, and tucks away like a tiny lipstick tube when you’re done. Keep one in your pocket for when paper-writing inspiration strikes, and another in your bag for the day your laptop inevitably dies mid-lecture. $20

Credit: Amazon

This designer staple also happens to be a perfect accessory for students. Fisher’s pen is nice to look at, writes beautifully, feels great even on the third hour of a final exam, and tucks away like a tiny lipstick tube when you’re done. Keep one in your pocket for when paper-writing inspiration strikes, and another in your bag for the day your laptop inevitably dies mid-lecture. $20

Anker Soundcore Bluetooth Speaker

It’s a computer speaker, it’s a dorm-hall party starter, it’s the epic soundtrack you need during intramural kickball. Anker’s ultraportable Bluetooth speaker won’t blow you away with its looks, but between the day-and-night battery life and surprisingly pounding audio, it’ll give you plenty of oomph for all your listening needs. $30

Credit: Amazon

It’s a computer speaker, it’s a dorm-hall party starter, it’s the epic soundtrack you need during intramural kickball. Anker’s ultraportable Bluetooth speaker won’t blow you away with its looks, but between the day-and-night battery life and surprisingly pounding audio, it’ll give you plenty of oomph for all your listening needs. $30

Studio 3B USB Bed Lifts

These rubber cones come in a pack of four, one for each leg of your twin extra-long bedframe. Their first job is to put your bed on stilts, giving you a few more precious vertical inches of storage under your mattress. But these have an extra trick: You know that one outlet tucked behind your bed, right in the corner, two inches out of your reach? One of these lifts plugs into that, and offers you a new outlet where you can actually reach it. $38

Credit: Bed Bath and Beyond

These rubber cones come in a pack of four, one for each leg of your twin extra-long bedframe. Their first job is to put your bed on stilts, giving you a few more precious vertical inches of storage under your mattress. But these have an extra trick: You know that one outlet tucked behind your bed, right in the corner, two inches out of your reach? One of these lifts plugs into that, and offers you a new outlet where you can actually reach it. $38

IKEA FIXA Drill and Toolset

Your Bieber posters deserve to be hung with only the greatest of care, and your new Micke desk comes together a lot more easily with the right power tools. Ikea’s drill set holds up surprisingly well to all manner of minor renovation projects, plus it’s light and small enough not to raise an RA’s eyebrow. Throw in the $8 tray full of screws and nails and you’re ready to go all HGTV up in this place. $20

Credit: Ikea

Your Bieber posters deserve to be hung with only the greatest of care, and your new Micke desk comes together a lot more easily with the right power tools. Ikea’s drill set holds up surprisingly well to all manner of minor renovation projects, plus it’s light and small enough not to raise an RA’s eyebrow. Throw in the $8 tray full of screws and nails and you’re ready to go all HGTV up in this place. $20

AmazonBasics Braided iPhone Cable

At some point, your roommate will try and steal your charger. Ditch the looks-like-all-the-others white cable that came with your phone and swap in something braided and unique. This one is long enough to reach even from way behind your desk, and sturdy enough to withstand the inevitable coffee spills. $10

Credit: Amazon

At some point, your roommate will try and steal your charger. Ditch the looks-like-all-the-others white cable that came with your phone and swap in something braided and unique. This one is long enough to reach even from way behind your desk, and sturdy enough to withstand the inevitable coffee spills. $10

TaoTronics LED Desk Lamp

Working all night under those flickering fluorescent tubes won’t end well for you. Instead, finish those problem sets under the warm glow of an LED lamp, while you charge your phone in its USB port. The lamp can be programmed to several different intensities and colors, and you’d be amazed how much the right light can help you stay on-task. And awake. $32

Credit: Amazon

Working all night under those flickering fluorescent tubes won’t end well for you. Instead, finish those problem sets under the warm glow of an LED lamp, while you charge your phone in its USB port. The lamp can be programmed to several different intensities and colors, and you’d be amazed how much the right light can help you stay on-task. And awake. $32

Aeropress

Bringing your whole Clover setup might give you a certain… reputation. But an Aeropress says just one thing: You appreciate good coffee, and you know how to science the crap out of it. Grab some hot water from the cafeteria, toss in the latest from your Blue Bottle subscription, and you’ve got a perfect pick-me-up every morning. Leave the chunky, burnt stuff for the amateurs. $30

Credit: Amazon

Bringing your whole Clover setup might give you a certain… reputation. But an Aeropress says just one thing: You appreciate good coffee, and you know how to science the crap out of it. Grab some hot water from the cafeteria, toss in the latest from your Blue Bottle subscription, and you’ve got a perfect pick-me-up every morning. Leave the chunky, burnt stuff for the amateurs. $30

Gideon 5-Inch Flameless Candle

Candles are great for ambiance, but burning your building down is bad for your campus rep. Go the flameless route and get all the upside of a flickering wick without the fire-alarm panic attacks. This one even comes with a remote, so you can (ahem) fire up the candle from the comfort of your bed. $9.95

Credit: Amazon

Candles are great for ambiance, but burning your building down is bad for your campus rep. Go the flameless route and get all the upside of a flickering wick without the fire-alarm panic attacks. This one even comes with a remote, so you can (ahem) fire up the candle from the comfort of your bed. $9.95

Zojirushi Travel Mug

This vacuum-sealedtravel mug keeps your coffee piping through a full day of classes, study sessions, and well-earned naps. It’s spillproof enough to toss into your bag without drenching your textbooks, and durable enough to last four years of school. Finish your coffee, give the Zojirushi a quick scrub, and fill it with booze for the evening. $24.90

Credit: Amazon

This vacuum-sealedtravel mug keeps your coffee piping through a full day of classes, study sessions, and well-earned naps. It’s spillproof enough to toss into your bag without drenching your textbooks, and durable enough to last four years of school. Finish your coffee, give the Zojirushi a quick scrub, and fill it with booze for the evening. $24.90

Post-It Super Sticky Notes

These huge stickies are perfect for leaving passive-aggressive notes for your roommate, or just slapping on the inside of the door so you don’t forget to print your paper before class. $9.50

Credit: Amazon

These huge stickies are perfect for leaving passive-aggressive notes for your roommate, or just slapping on the inside of the door so you don’t forget to print your paper before class. $9.50

Samsung 32GB Flash Drive

Sending big files—like all ten seasons of Friends, or that 485-slide presentation for next week—is a pain. Slide this sturdy drive onto your key ring and use it whenever Dropbox and Google Drive just won’t upload fast enough. Sure, you’ll lose it eventually, but it’s $12. And nobody’s got time to wait for the campus Wi-Fi. $12.31

Credit: Amazon

Sending big files—like all ten seasons of Friends, or that 485-slide presentation for next week—is a pain. Slide this sturdy drive onto your key ring and use it whenever Dropbox and Google Drive just won’t upload fast enough. Sure, you’ll lose it eventually, but it’s $12. And nobody’s got time to wait for the campus Wi-Fi. $12.31

Roku Express

The Game of Thrones viewing party moves every week, but your Roku Express streaming stick remains a constant. This tiny dongle plugs into an HDMI port and turns any TV into a smart set, instantly populated with your passwords and preferences. Perfect for road trips, ski weekends, and a great excuse to move the messy party into someone else’s room. $30

Credit: Roku

The Game of Thrones viewing party moves every week, but your Roku Express streaming stick remains a constant. This tiny dongle plugs into an HDMI port and turns any TV into a smart set, instantly populated with your passwords and preferences. Perfect for road trips, ski weekends, and a great excuse to move the messy party into someone else’s room. $30

Tile

Campus is like a black hole for stuff. Your jacket, your backpack, and your biology notes somehow all seem to disappear in the crush of other people with similar-looking stuff and super-sticky fingers. With this GPS and Bluetooth-tracking dongle attached, though, you can find anything can be found. All you need is your phone. Maybe put a Tile on that too? $25

Credit: Amazon

Campus is like a black hole for stuff. Your jacket, your backpack, and your biology notes somehow all seem to disappear in the crush of other people with similar-looking stuff and super-sticky fingers. With this GPS and Bluetooth-tracking dongle attached, though, you can find anything can be found. All you need is your phone. Maybe put a Tile on that too? $25

TP-Link Smart LED Light Bulbs

You don’t need an electrician’s degree or a super-expensive hub connected to your campus Wi-Fi to get started on your smart home. TP-Link’s smart bulbs connect directly to your phone, which you can use to turn the light off without even having to get out of bed. $20

Credit: Amazon

You don’t need an electrician’s degree or a super-expensive hub connected to your campus Wi-Fi to get started on your smart home. TP-Link’s smart bulbs connect directly to your phone, which you can use to turn the light off without even having to get out of bed. $20

Eufy Genie

Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant can help with homework, play mood music, and remind you that your paper’s due tomorrow. Anker’s new speaker can do all that, too, in a package both cheaper and better-sounding than Amazon’s own Echo Dot. Plug it into your computer speakers and really get the sound up, or just put the Genie on your desk and rub it once in a while. Wait, no. Just talk to it. No rubbing required. $35

Credit: Anker

Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant can help with homework, play mood music, and remind you that your paper’s due tomorrow. Anker’s new speaker can do all that, too, in a package both cheaper and better-sounding than Amazon’s own Echo Dot. Plug it into your computer speakers and really get the sound up, or just put the Genie on your desk and rub it once in a while. Wait, no. Just talk to it. No rubbing required. $35

iDevices Wi-Fi Smart Plug

This outlet turns any item you own into a remotely controllable version of itself. Pair the switch with its companion app, and you can turn anything on or off from anywhere. If you play it right, and flip the switch remotely on your toaster oven right as you walk out of class, that Hot Pocket could be oozy-cheesy perfect the moment you open the door. $29.29

Credit: Amazon

This outlet turns any item you own into a remotely controllable version of itself. Pair the switch with its companion app, and you can turn anything on or off from anywhere. If you play it right, and flip the switch remotely on your toaster oven right as you walk out of class, that Hot Pocket could be oozy-cheesy perfect the moment you open the door. $29.29